Consulting

Mark has been providing consulting services on all things web and digital for 20 years to a wide variety of clients, primarily in higher education. He specializes in web accessibility, strategic planning, web and digital governance, web evaluation, social media strategy, leadership training, user centered design, and emerging technologies.

Mark works as an independent consultant and has consulted with dozens of colleges and universities across the world. Unlike many web consultants, Mark has extensive domain knowledge with higher education and the unique organizational structures, governance models and decision making processes found on college campuses. This understanding helps him focus on value and ROI when working with clients. His first question is always “What problem can we solve with the web and digital?”

Mark’s philosophical approach to his work can be summed as follows:

Understand the Business

Most people define a good website in terms of design, content, navigation, usability, etc. And while all of these play a role, ultimately the value of the web and is determined by its ability to solve business problems. Web strategy, web priorities, and web resources must all be aligned with institutional strategy.

Understand the User

In general, usability is still poor and most college websites. People come to a college website to find specific information and complete specific tasks. There must be constant attention paid to the user experience.

Understand the Medium

The web as a publishing platform is unique. It is different than print, different than radio and television, and with mobile devices becoming ubiquitous, best practices will continue to evolve.